Finding Her
by Kai-2010
Summary: Upon receiving news that her picture was in a magazine that went to Federal Agencies, Maura Isles comes face to face with her former life as Special Agent Caitlin Todd. Mibbs/Kibbs. WIP. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

Maura Isles sat at her office desk going through paperwork. She was informed a couple of hours ago that her picture was in a magazine that went out to every federal agency and precinct in the country. Normally she would have been happy having her picture taken, especially one of her performing her job. This time; however, she was wary.

Maura Isles was not her given name. Several years ago she was once called Caitlin Todd, a NCIS Special Agent. She had several friends, including a love interest in her boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. When Kate was "killed" she was on the verge of telling Gibbs how she felt about him. She had caught him giving her heated looks, especially when they were in the office alone. Even though Gibbs was often called a bastard, she had fallen for him hard. He showed her a side of him that people normally did not see. He was smart, sexy, funny, and very talented. Over the time that they were coworkers and friends she had often helped him in his basement building boats. She still had no idea how he got the completed boats out of his basement. She smiled at the memory when her phone rang.

It was Jane Rizolli, a Boston Homicide Detective. Jane worked close with Maura when there was a murder. Maura was the Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Boston. Jane was also Maura's best friend who she could tell anything to. It was a few summers ago, when they were both drunk off of tequila that Maura had confessed everything to Jane. About how a body double was on the roof and that she was "shot". Several miles away, Kate was being led away. She was being placed into Witness Protection Services until Ari Haswari was killed or in custody.

When the time came for Kate to be released from WPS, she refused to go back to her old life as Kate Todd. She had found a great job and several new friends. She was officially released from the program and she continued on her life as Dr. Maura Isles. When Maura first started out as her new persona, she was taking night classes while she attended her job as a M.E. It was a very difficult ride for her, but she had finally earned her doctorates two years ago. When she was given her identity, she was automatically given the doctor's title. At first it made her extremely nervous that she was in fact impersonating one. She felt at ease when she started doing her job. Maura quickly learned the necessities of performing an autopsy and no one had any doubts about her title.

Maura was brought back out of her thoughts by Jane saying her name several times. Maura listened to what Jane had to say and she started to panic. There was man who was looking for her, Jane said that he was with a Federal Agency she had never heard of. When Maura asked her what he looked like and when Jane confirmed her suspicions, Maura started to panic. Maura tried to remain calm as she told Jane to send him down to her office.

It wasn't a minute later that there was a knock at her door. She looked up and saw Agent Gibbs and Jane in her door way. Maura stood up and shook Gibbs' hand. She told Jane that she could leave and that she had everything under control. As soon Jane was gone, Maura felt Gibbs' hard stare. She knew that she would have to tell him the truth. "How can I help you today?"

Gibbs stared at her for a while longer. "I think you should tell me why I'm here. I know that seeing me rings a bell. At least it should, Kate." At hearing her old name, Maura gasped.

"It's Maura Isles now. Please do not use my old name here. Can we go somewhere more private?"

Gibbs sighed and nodded. Maura gathered up her things and she let the office know that she was out for the rest of the day unless there was a case. Gibbs rode with her in her car to her townhouse. As she got closer to going inside, she became more nervous. Upon entering her house, she was greeted by her pet tortuous, Bass. Gibbs looked amused and he reached down and tried to introduce himself. Bass was very shy though. He followed them to the kitchen and Maura gave him a British Strawberry. He ate happily and continued to watch them.

Maura sat down at her table and Gibbs followed suit. He knew that the inevitable was coming, but he wished that he could prolong it further. He took her hand and he gently squeezed it in hopes of calming her down. He noticed that she was very nervous. When she was Kate Todd, he never knew her to be nervous. Kate was always collected and strong. Maura seemed much more different than Kate. Gibbs could not help but admit that she was beautiful. Her hair color did wonders for her natural beauty. He smiled at her and he willed her to start with the beginning of her story.


	2. Chapter 2

Maura looked at Gibbs and smiled at him. "Do you want me to put on some coffee? I still drink it the way you do, even the same brew." She blushed a little and looked into his eyes.

Gibbs smiled and he noticed that his heart was beating faster. _That hasn't happened to me in a while…don't let your emotions get the best of you, Jethro. You are here for answers, not for matters of the heart! _Gibbs shook his head. "You can make some after we are done talking. Have you been here in Boston all along?"

Maura shook her head. "I should start from the beginning, it would be easier."

Gibbs nods and his throat goes dry. "Maybe coffee would be a good idea."

Maura nods and quickly starts the machine. She soon found her way to the table and looking into his eyes. "I had known for a while that Ari was obsessed with me, especially after he kidnapped me and tried to use me. I was contacted the morning of my "death" by Witness Protection Services. I went to work that day and when we were going through the building to find the terrorists, they switched me out with a body double who looked like me and spoke close enough like me that they didn't think anyone would notice. She had terminal cancer and she volunteered." Maura looked sad. She noticed that the coffee was ready and she poured two cups. She sat back down and smiled a little at Gibbs. He smiled back and nodded his head.

"While everything was going on, I was on the other side of DC learning about my new identity. They were going to have me be a Medical Examiner with a doctorates. They had the paperwork and everything. I was not a doctor yet in real life, so once I got settled into Boston and into my new job, I started taking night classes." She took a drink of her coffee. "It was not until a few months into my classes and my job that I found out that Ari had been killed." She looks down hesitantly, knowing that the next part will make him upset. "I was told that I could go back to being Kate Todd and that I would be safe. I didn't want to give up everything that I was working for, so I told them that I would continue to be Maura Isles. They released me from the program and I've been here ever since."

She looked at Gibbs square in the eyes, he stared back. "You had a choice to come back? Why didn't you take it? Didn't you realize how many people you left behind?" Gibbs suddenly got up and he started pacing. "You could have at least told someone, anyone!"

Maura's throat was dry, she knew that he would possibly blow up after hearing the next part. "I had to tell Ducky, I arranged a meeting with him because I knew that I would see him at Medical Examiners Conferences. He promised to keep it a secret from the team."

Gibbs was furious that Ducky had kept it from _him, _especially since Ducky knew about his feelings for Kate. Gibbs took some deep breaths and tried to calm down. He did not understand why she wanted to live a different life. He looked at her hand for the first time and was grateful that she didn't have a wedding band on it. Gibbs refilled his coffee and sat down. "What other reasons did you have for staying here? I'm sure a part of you wanted to come back, didn't it?"

Maura nodded. "I never wanted to leave the team…no the family that I loved. I was heartbroken…" she looked down and tried to get the tears that suddenly formed in her eyes to go away. "When I came to Boston, I was a mess. I met people who helped me and I started making some friends. The detective you talked to earlier is my best friend. She is the only one in this life that knows about my past. Not only that, I earned a real doctorates degree. I invested a lot of time and energy into this life…it's not something that I wanted to throw away."

Gibbs glared at her and Maura quickly looked away. When she was Kate, she would have stared back at him and never backed down. She wasn't as strong as she used to be. She felt tears pool in her eyes and she braced herself for what was coming.

Gibbs could not believe what he was hearing. "You threw your life at NCIS away! Didn't you invest a lot of time and energy in that life? Didn't you have a family and friends? Did we mean nothing to you? When Haswari was killed, you wasn't a doctor, you were just starting out. Don't you think that you could have taken schooling in DC? We would have supported you! Our team was ripped apart! Even though you were replaced, there was still a huge hole in our hearts. There is still a hole there!" Gibbs' chest heaved and he didn't realize he was yelling. He didn't feel any better about the situation but it was a start. 

Maura still wouldn't look at him. After several minutes, she finally spoke up. "I think you should go. Forget that you found me and just _go!" _She finally looked at him and tears were streaming down her cheeks. When she saw how intense of a stare he was casting her way, she quickly stood up and ran into the other room. Tears were flowing steadily as she sank into her couch. She heard foot steps behind her and she tensed up.

Gibbs moved to the couch next to her and he tilted her chin towards him. "I'm not going anywhere. I had feelings for you back then and I should have told you. I can't just walk away and pretend that I didn't find you, Kate." He wiped away a few of her tears and he leaned in and kissed her roughly.

Maura's heart started to beat frantically, she tried to remember what to do next and she tried her hardest not to pass out from breathing too quickly. She moved her lips with his and she moved a little closer to him. Her heart felt heavy and light. She was not sure what was coming next but she knew that it was going to be a long and difficult journey ahead of her. She broke the kiss and looked into his steely blue eyes.


End file.
